Drilon discounts need for law to permanently end pork barrel system

Senator Franklin Drilon INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines –Senate President  Franklin Drilon said there is no longer need to pass a law permanently banning the  controversial “pork barrel” funds, citing a Supreme Court’s decision, declaring it unconstitutional.

“(There is) no necessity. The Supreme Court has declared it unconstitutional. Thus, PDAF cannot be restored in 2015 or future budgets. And the Senate has deleted it in the 2014 budget,” Drilon said in a text message to reporters on Tuesday.

PDAF is Priority Development Assistant Funds, also known as pork barrel.

Drilon issued the statements when sought to react to the People’s Initiative against Pork Barrel’s plan to pass through a people’s initiative a law that will make it a crime to insert pork barrel funds and other lump-sum items in the national budget.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said that while the proposed action has “symbolic value,” it would be more practical to just monitor the annual budget to make sure that it would not contain any pork barrel funds.

“Even such a law is passed through a people’s initiative, (it) could be amended or repealed by the annual budget so in the end it’s a yearly monitoring which is crucial,” Angara said in a separate text message.

Meanwhile, Senator Sergio Osmeña, welcomed the proposed passage of such law and threw his support behind it.

“Good idea. I will be supportive. I pray that it will prosper,” Osmeña said in another text message.

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